1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to coin sorting devices and, more particularly, to coin sorters of the type which use a resilient rotating disc and a stationary sorting head for sorting coins of mixed denominations.
2. Description of the Related Art
In coin sorters of the foregoing type, coins are pressed into a resilient disc for positive control throughout referencing, sorting and ejection movements. Such positive control permits the coin sorter to be quickly stopped by braking of the rotation of the resilient disc when a preselected number of coins of a selected denomination have been ejected from the sorter. Positive control also permits the sorter to be relatively compact yet operate at high speed.
A disadvantage of obtaining positive control of coins by pressing the coins into engagement with a sorting head is the possibility of stacked or "double coins" impeding the flow of unstacked or "single coins" through the sorter. A "double coin" condition occurs when two thin coins are engaged one on top of the other between the resilient disc and the sorting head. Although means have been provided for breaking up the "double coins" before the coins are referenced, such means have been unreliable for cases when the "double coin" has the same thickness as a "single coin" of another denomination, and a failure to break a "double coin" before referencing causes the chance of miss-sorting to become significant. The means for breaking up the stacked or double coins has also unduly limited the speed of the sorter by causing, in many instances, more than just one of the two coins in each "double coin" to be recirculated, and these recirculated coins have interfered with the feeding of single coins to the referencing means.
Another disadvantage of coin sorting using such positive control is present when the diameter (or width) of one coin denomination is about equal to twice the width of another coin denomination. In this situation, the coins can be missorted as a result of being guided through the referencing means by other coins and never becoming referenced. Although a number of solutions have been previously attempted, all have fallen short of removing the missorting problem.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin sorting device which overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies.